"[T]his may not be the job market you anticipated," Fastcase CEO Ed Walters told University of Illinois law grads last Saturday, "but it may well create the unexpected opportunity, an opportunity that you may otherwise have missed, that makes your career."

Walters, commencement speaker for the class of 2012, knows something about finding success by way of the path less traveled. "The shortest distance between you and your goals is rarely a straight line," he said. "It’s a little like driving across the mountains: the fastest way usually isn’t a straight line across the map. You don’t control the terrain.  And the path usually takes you on a few turns in the opposite direction along the way.

"This job market is full of mountains and obstacles. Your path across them may be different from the one you charted. But openness, flexibility, and hard work will get you there."

Read Ed's thoughtful and wide-ranging speech, which is about living, not just making a living, and has sound advice for newly minted and veteran lawyers alike.